Achievements for Feats

[Master O'Laughs]

Hey everyone,

I am getting ready to run an adventure for two friends and one of their kids for a party of three. To make things less confusing for leveling up and also adding additional power for a small party, I was thinking of not allowing feats to be chosen sticking to ASIs.

The power boost would be developing landmarks which upon hitting them you gain a feat. Examples of this would be:

Shield Master - after using a shield to bash an enemy x amount of times.

Tough - After you are knocked unconscious x amount of times or after you roll x amount of 20s no death saving throws.

Warcaster - after you succeed on x amount of concentration checks.

What would be good ideas for other feats? What would be reasonable amounts before obtaining them?

I don't mind the book keeping and figure I would let them know the system exists without the details of how to get them so they are surprises.

Is this a terrible idea? Are there better systems to have "earned" feats? A better way to reward them?

[JNAProductions]

I wouldn't have a set system. That would encourage the players to do silly things, from an in-universe perspective, just to gain feats.

But I am all for providing appropriate feats based on accomplishments. Dole them out like magic items, I'd say.

[animorte]

I think this is a neat idea, especially if they actually know what they have to do to acquire said feats. I just wouldn’t make the thing they have to do something that is strictly beneficial after getting the feat. Like, what reason do I have to shield bash an enemy with my action (that I could use for something else) if it does little-to-no damage and I can’t shove them?

For that one specifically, I would probably say that the feat becomes known after x amount of times they block damage with the shield (attack roll misses their AC by 1-2) and/or each time they happen to succeed against a spell’s Dex save for half damage.

I think what you have for Warcaster is perfect.

Magic Initiate: something like being the target of x amount of cantrips?

Inspiring Leader: succeed on x number of Charisma checks?

Spell Sniper: hit x number of enemies near max range of your spells (50-60ft. on a 60ft. max range, 100-120ft. on a 120ft. max range spell, 30ft. on a 30ft. max range spell)

Just a few ideas off the top of my head.

[Master O'Laughs]

I think this is a neat idea, especially if they actually know what they have to do to acquire said feats. I just wouldn’t make the thing they have to do something that is strictly beneficial after getting the feat. Like, what reason do I have to shield bash an enemy with my action (that I could use for something else) if it does little-to-no damage and I can’t shove them?

For that one specifically, I would probably say that the feat becomes known after x amount of times they block damage with the shield (attack roll misses their AC by 1-2) and/or each time they happen to succeed against a spell’s Dex save for half damage.

I think what you have for Warcaster is perfect.

Magic Initiate: something like being the target of x amount of cantrips?

Inspiring Leader: succeed on x number of Charisma checks?

Spell Sniper: hit x number of enemies near max range of your spells (50-60ft. on a 60ft. max range, 100-120ft. on a 120ft. max range spell, 30ft. on a 30ft. max range spell)

Just a few ideas off the top of my head.

I like these, thanks! and good idea for shield master.

[Sorinth]

I'm in favour of handing out feats as a reward but I'm not sure I'd go as far as saying you have to Shield Bash 100 times to gain Shield Master feat. If they know in advance what they have to do it almost certainly will lead to silly situations to get the feat. This is especially if there will be downtime in your game, if they don't know it could be somewhat interesting but it means a lot more tracking on your part, and if they figure out what got them the feat it could become a problem.

I would suggest instead sprinkle in a bunch of "trainers" in your world. If you convince these trainers to train you then you gain the feat. The training could be downtime or simply something where they show you the technique which you then practice every night before going to bed and after a couple weeks you gain the feat.

[Amnestic]

I'm in favour of handing out feats as a reward but I'm not sure I'd go as far as saying you have to Shield Bash 100 times to gain Shield Master feat. If they know in advance what they have to do it almost certainly will lead to silly situations to get the feat.

On the one hand, yes, it encourages players to 'grind' a specific move to unlock a feat.

On the other hand, they're actively training towards a feat in combat. That...kinda fits, doesn't it? "I used my shield a bunch, now I'm a shield master." In another system that would be exactly how it works, and it's the sort of thing that's underlying the level/feat system to begin with. You can take a feat that previously has nothing to do with your build (eg. magic initiate) and the assumption is you've been practicing off screen to learn how to do the spells. This just puts the practice "on-screen" and gives it an alternate experience track.

As long as they're not shield bashing each other during downtime to grind super fast (stipulate that to gain experience it has to be a proper fight, life or death stuff?) then I think it's fine.

[MoiMagnus]

Is this a terrible idea? Are there better systems to have "earned" feats? A better way to reward them?

I don't think "video game" achievements are a good idea. It pushes players to grind, which is probably not what you want.

However, granting feats a little like if they were "special rewards" works pretty well. Feats can be:

A blessing from a god they helped (or after an act of heroism)
A bonus effect on an homebrew magical object
A special training offered by the Elf king or an old dragon.
A reward for a special quest (after a few players get a feat, the others will ask "how can I get a feat too?" and that here that you suggest some special quests)

If you add feats like that, I'd add the restriction of "maximum one feat per 4 levels". Meaning that PCs of level 1-4 can only have one feat (and if they gain another, they choose which one they keep), and level 5-8 can get a second feat, etc.

[Sorinth]

On the one hand, yes, it encourages players to 'grind' a specific move to unlock a feat.

On the other hand, they're actively training towards a feat in combat. That...kinda fits, doesn't it? "I used my shield a bunch, now I'm a shield master." In another system that would be exactly how it works, and it's the sort of thing that's underlying the level/feat system to begin with. You can take a feat that previously has nothing to do with your build (eg. magic initiate) and the assumption is you've been practicing off screen to learn how to do the spells. This just puts the practice "on-screen" and gives it an alternate experience track.

As long as they're not shield bashing each other during downtime to grind super fast (stipulate that to gain experience it has to be a proper fight, life or death stuff?) then I think it's fine.

If your players aren't going to cheese it then it could certainly work. I'm not fully seeing the benefit of making it something that's purely on-screen vs something that's a little more offscreen. If I have my character practice with a shield every day for 1hr after setting up camp before going to bed is that really less fun then playing sub-optimal in combat? I worry a little that your players will have less fun because they will be performing "weak" actions in combat in order to get the feat and be more powerful later on.

Perhaps a way of doing it would be at certain times they chose a feat to train on, they get a weaker version of the feat until they use it often enough at which point they get the full feat, or even each bullet of the feat has it's own requirement. So for example someone starts training for Shield Master, they get that BA shove but have disadvantage on the check. Once they've successfully shoved an enemy 10 times (Whether as a BA or the normal shove) they gain the full benefit of that bullet point. To earn the add the shield bonus to dex saves they have to succeed 10 dex saves while using a shield. So long as your players are fine not cheesing it then it could be interesting, but like I said you'll want to avoid encouraging players to play sub-optimially in order to earn points towards a feat because choosing between being good now vs good later isn't all that fun, so you'll have to be sure the requirements don't encourage sub-optimal play.

[Chronos]

Quoth JNAProductions:

I wouldn't have a set system. That would encourage the players to do silly things, from an in-universe perspective, just to gain feats.
Heck, in games with achievements, players tend to do silly things, from an in-universe perspective, even if they don't get any mechanical rewards for doing so.

"Hey, can someone cast a bunch of healing spells on me while I stand in the middle of this fire for four hours? I'm trying to get the "take a million points of damage" achievement."

[Mastikator]

One option I've seen at play is that the characters use downtime to train to get a feat of their choice. The training should be appropriate for the feat and be based on the character's theme and roleplay. Only one, and it can be retrained with downtime.

I think achievements will encourage the players to metagame and make it feel like a videogame. Players will do weird things to get their feats.

Another option is just give players one free feat if the game feels feat starved.

[Zhorn]

I wouldn't have a set system. That would encourage the players to do silly things, from an in-universe perspective, just to gain feats.

But I am all for providing appropriate feats based on accomplishments. Dole them out like magic items, I'd say.
Very much agree with this take; handing them out as rewards either when the milestone makes the most narrative sense, or in response to addressing an imbalance between party members.
Players can actively pursue and work towards things they are after, but it's on a narrative layer rather than mechanical.

[Quietus]

I'd be using a mix of these options :

- Players perform a favor for a powerful individual, may get given a feat as a boon
- Exceptional individuals in the world offer training, may require downtime to master the technique

And then for "this is my build" feats,

- Player lets you know this is a feat they want, and justifies working toward it in-character. At a narratively appropriate moment, you grant them that feat

As an example, Shield Master keeps coming up. That's absolutely something that someone could take training in, but it's also something a player could work to gain over time. And in that moment where they're taking a dragon's breath, and they fail the save but only slightly, you get to describe them ducking behind their shield and using it for cover, inform them that they succeeded, and have the option to spend their reaction to take no damage. To me, that would create a moment that would be remembered for the rest of my gaming years!

[Rilmani]

I generally agree with this idea, but I’d make it so that equipping feats acquired in this way costs an Attunement slot. The idea being you’ve mastered combat with X specific shield, and attuning with it allows you to use Shield Master with it.

Perhaps if you have a feat the normal way AND you spend an Attunement slot on that same feat you acquired via an achievement, you get an extra bonus- like one of those d100 minor beneficial effects from the artifact list, or an Epic Boon with a recharge time of one week. Something.

Anyway, I like the achievement idea. Might stick the “learning the achievement requirements behind a specific feat” behind finding a specific NPC, tome, or research project. Perhaps anyone who participates in X gladiator rounds, or who wins one gladiatorial tournament unlocks a few martial-focused achievements’ requirements.